THE LOW DOWN

The Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge is one of the most rewarding walking challenges in the UK and completing all of it, or even part of it is a real achievement! The route is 26 mile circular route, starting from the small village of Horton in Ribblesdale. Over the course of the walk, you will not only pass through beautiful countryside but also stand atop three of the highest peaks in Yorkshire: Whernside (736m / 2,415ft), Ingleborough (723m / 2,372ft) and Pen-y-ghent (694m / 2,277ft).

We will be meeting at the Station Inn, Ribblehead at 05.45 prompt to start the walk. We will not be able to accommodate late arrivals.

After a briefing, we will be off on our way towards the day’s first peak.

We would hope to be back at Ribblehead by between 5.30pm and 6.30pm in the evening where you will be able to enjoy a pub meal. If you want to stay in the area overnight there are plenty of pubs with rooms, B & B’s and guesthouses in the area, as well as a YHA just up the road.

The walk can be tough underfoot in places and sections can be very boggy if it has been raining (remember that pair of clean socks!) but you will have plenty of time to cover the course and you’ll have the support team making sure you have plenty of food and drink on the way. You don’t need any experience of hill walking – we will have people en route who know the way and GPS devices will be supplied.

FAQs

How fit do I need to be?
The Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge is a serious objective and whilst achievable for most people in good health and average fitness, should not be under-estimated. To ensure your safety, walkers will be allocated into groups with a qualified mountain leader (ML) roughly according to your experience/fitness levels, but don’t worry, you will not be split from friends or family! The event is not a race – we want everyone to go at their own pace and enjoy the experience.

The route should take a minimum of 10 hours on rough terrain, so prior walking experience is highly advised. If you’re not already regularly active, then walking (on hills where possible) is the best preparation. Try and include some walks of at least four hours duration. Cardio exercise such as running or cycling is also very useful.
Generally, the fitter you are, the more you will enjoy the walk!

What if I want to stop?

That’s fine – the support team will have two cars for you to travel back to Horton in – you might need to walk to the next support car meeting point.

Is the route easy to determine?

For the vast majority of the walk we will use footpaths though some of these are not initially obvious. There will be guides on the day – they will give a briefing on the morning of the walk. Nobody should walk alone and the support team will check each of us in and out at each stopping point.

Do I have to raise the minimum sponsorship amount?

As with any event organised by PHASE, the main reason for running the event is to bring in funds for the charity. We don’t want to put people off by asking them to raise large sums of money, but would hope that you would be raise the target amount. Anything over and above the amount is a real bonus!